<HTML><HTML>This time we actually have something interesting to report. We went downbasin today to see Riverside and maybe Grand, but Grand was way early in its window so after Riverside, I suggested we check out Fan and Mortar.  Main reason for my doing this, because I thought it was too early since the last one, was to finally sit down with this geyser in front of me along with the book so I could get a grip on what all of this arcane lingo is about.  When we got there, it was deader than...whatever...so I got Joe involved in reading Geysers of Yell with me and piecing together where all of these various vents must be.  This took some time and also argument.  Finally we decided upon what was what (I won) and as I watched, I began to notice that it sure was starting to look like a cycle.  We'd only seen a little steam, but then we saw that bottom vent and later, lower Mortar were both beginning to splash a bit.  The energy shift between the 2 geysers began to seem very clear as I watched M stop and the activity in F pick up.  Finally, we saw some splashing in Main Vent. We continued arguing about the significance of all this, with one of us an optimist and the other one, hungry, while the Mortar activitity started really picking up and turning into an eruption. Still, we weren't able to determine whether (from the book description) this was really the start of something or just background noise.  The deciding thing was whether the Fan vents started doing anything, and to this point they had not, other than a little steam.  I started reluctantly picking up stuff to go, while looking over my shoulder with a continuing nagging feeling that this was "something."  Luckily for us, incredibly, along came a guy who knew something, named Dean, who asked us whether we were aware that this was an event cycle.  I told him that I was reasonably sure that was a possibility, he quizzed me about whether we had a radio (we do, but it is a little walkie talkie) and whether I was planning to call it.  I told him the reality; that I would hate to call wolf, I thought it was something and certainly, if Gold and Angle had gotten to the level that they obtained after he arrived, of course I would have called it.  After he arrived, the activity in Gold, Angle and High all picked up and looked really promising for a second.  Meanwhile, Dean answered all our questions and confirmed what we had id'ed as the vents (we got 100%).  Along with this, he gave us all kinds of information about what he was looking at in terms of water levels, etc.  The excitement died down, though, and again, he told us why he was calling it. So thank you so much, Dean, for all of that.  This was just great!  Of course, I'd still like to witness an eruption.  And certainly, if I'd seen activity out of the top vents in Fan, I'd have worked out to make a call. More than anything, now I understand a little about what's so compelling about this geyser.. Deb Stahl ************** Looking for love this summer? Find it now on AOL Personals. (http://personals.aol.com/?ncid=emlcntuslove00000003)</HTML>